With folks all over unwrapping presents today and the year just about over, I wanted to commemorate the time by looking at the gifts that the world of cinema bestowed on us in 2014. What do I mean when I say that? Well, in my eyes, it can mean a film, a filmmaker, or a performer who we became thankful for/even more thankful for during the past 12 months. I tried to be as eclectic as possible and think broadly, but of course this is essentially who and what I loved during the year too. It’s not my top ten list, but it might give you some idea of what mine will look like. Also, I did try and tie it into the Oscar race, of course. How could I not? Anyway, enjoy!
Here now are ten gifts that cinema gave us in 2014:
1. Boyhood – Almost without exception, everyone can agree that Richard Linklater’s film is a gift to cinema. That just makes the fact that it’s the current Best Picture/Best Director/Best Original Screenplay frontrunner all the sweeter. It’s a unique experience that may never be duplicated and 2014 contained the release of it after a decade plus of preparation/shooting.
2. J.K. Simmons – Who doesn’t love Simmons? He’s one of the great character actors of our time, but he’s never had a role like the one in Whiplash to really sink his teeth into. As such, we should give thanks that this gift of a performance is now not only guaranteed to score him his first Oscar nomination, it’s almost assuredly going to win him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as well.
3. Life Itself – Legendary film critic Roger Ebert sadly passed away last year, but director Steve James released his amazing look at Ebert’s life this year, and what a gift it is. A touching documentary about a life well lived, it’s going to compete for Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars, though it’s already won a place in many of our hearts. It’s just that special.
4. The Fault in Our Stars – There were so many ways that this YA adaptation could have gone wrong that it’s a real gift that we got the brilliant movie that we did. The combination of director Josh Boone, writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, as well as cast members like Laura Dern, Ansel Elgort, and of course Shailene […]

For this week’s spotlight piece, I wanted to take a look at a younger A-lister, though one who’s been continually increasing her profile for a number of years now. It’s Emma Stone, one of Hollywood’s brightest young stars. She’s basically been on a rocket to the top, with no signs of slowing down. Stone not only has the goods as an actress, she’s got the charisma and personality to match. That’s the kind of combination that allows a star to go far. She’s an A-lister through and through, but one still very much on the upswing of her career. She’s still got plenty more to do, including I suspect…win an Oscar.
Stone is an actress who can shine in just about any role. She got her start with a clever supporting performance in Superbad, the type of performance she’d repeat a number of times from there, though always with enough of a new spin in something like The House Bunny so you weren’t bored with her. Zombieland gave her a chance to help an anchor a movie and she took the ball and ran with it. Her first starring role was Easy A and not only did she receive a Golden Globe nod for that performance, I think she deserved an Oscar nom as well. That was when she hit the A list (no pun intended), though co-starring in Best Picture nominee The Help or both of the newest Spider-Man flicks didn’t hurt either. With very few exceptions, Stone makes excellent choices with her career.
She has managed to charm in both light and heavy fare. Often, she combines the two. Easy A is a perfect example of that. Same with Crazy Stupid Love. She stands out in the crowd. Regardless of what you might think of The Amazing Spider-Man and/or The Amazing Spider-Man 2, her chemistry with co-star and real life co-star Andrew Garfield sparkles. You remember Stone when she’s on screen, even if the material isn’t always her best friend. She makes it work and elevates what’s on the page.
This weekend, Stone has her first collaboration with Woody Allen hitting theaters with Magic in the Moonlight. She gets to recite Allen dialogue and spar with Colin Firth in a really adorable way. Woody certainly agrees, as he’s already cast her in his next movie, where she’ll co-star with Joaquin Phoenix. That might very well be the film that gets her […]

Today, since I’ve sort of liked mixing and making this Tuesday slot, I’m going to be continuing on with another new-ish series for you all here at the site, one that I started a few weeks ago. Basically, it’s a spinoff of the Spotlight on the Stars series that I normally do here. As a quick refresher for those not in the know, each week I look at an actor/actress/filmmaker that I’d like to celebrate in some kind of way. It could be due to something of theirs coming out that weekend (like in many of the cases so far, including today) or just because I feel they deserve to have a moment in the sun all their own, but each time it’ll be a bit of positivity about someone who I’d like to pay tribute to. Here, I’m going to look at more of an under the radar individual as opposed to a tried and true star. Basically, I’m getting to them before they become absolute A list stars.
For this week’s piece, I wanted to take a look at an actor who’s right in the middle, between getting the treatment in this particular way or being an outright star, and that person is Andrew Garfield. In my eyes, not nearly enough people know who he is outside of the new Spider-Man franchise, and that’s despite nearly grabbing an Oscar nomination a few years back.
Garfield first appeared on screens in the small scale Boy A, where he impressed Robert Redford enough to cast him in Lions for Lambs. He was solid both times, and parlayed that into roles in The Other Boleyn Girl and the Red Riding Hood trilogy (he’s essentially the star of one part). Next came a supporting part in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and a big role in the romantic melodrama Never Let Me Go. From there though, he was set to begin making an impression on Hollywood.
Getting cast in The Social Network was a game changer. He went from an up and coming young actor to a star in the making. Nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes, he gives a magnificent performance and came within an eyelash of an Academy Award nod. Though he couldn’t get the nom, he’s the emotional core of the flick and much of its success rests on his shoulders. The industry noticed his charms and […]

I’m not going to get into the misogynistic aspect of the trolling centered around a few on-set photos of Shailene Woodley from The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
To those saying that she’s not ‘pretty enough’ to be Mary Jane Watson, I’ll simply extend a hearty ‘f*ck you’ and merely offer to be, wedding vows and relative current marital bliss aside, the next guy in line at the bar after you turn down her advances. But while others will justifiably focus on the offense at the trolling of a young actress having the gall to walk around without make up, I’d like to offer a bit of silver lining to this whole affair.
Now thanks to the Internet trolling, I can absolutely guarantee that not only will Shailene Woodley be insanely attractive as Mary Jane Watson in The Amazing Spider-Man, but she will also be a terrific character, in terms of acting and all of that ‘less-important’ stuff too.
Photo by PRPhotos.com
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So, it’s officially official. Disney just put out a press release, which means I can write about it without fear of it being debunked moments after publication. J.J. Abrams is indeed directing Star Wars: Episode VII. And what do I have to say about that? Well… not much really.
There is indeed a part of me that feels that it is wholly inappropriate and/or unnatural that the same director will be behind new Star Trek *and* new Star Wars movies. Back in the old days, I believed in the perhaps simplistic idea that every franchise would get their own special director. Sam Raimi had Spider-Man, Bryan Singer had X-Men, and Chris Nolan had Batman. Obviously that idea no longer exists.
Bryan Singer can helm X-Men and then go on to attempt to reboot Superman with Superman Returns before taking back the X-Men franchise from Matthew Vaughn, who is now rumored to be among Warner’s top choices for a Justice League movie. Even with more and more franchises being rebooted and/or changing hands, it seems like an awfully incestuous little circle, with only a handful of directors seemingly ending up helming these major properties. Say what you will about Marvel, but they deserve kudos for thinking outside the box on pretty much every major film thus far when it comes to a director.
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HollywoodNews.com: Although they seem to be a bit inseparable, it is rumored that Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield are not at all interested in rushing their romance.
They have allegedly been enjoying a break from work and are happy to just spend time together right now, states UsMagazine.com. But, both are still reportedly very focused on work and not concerned about taking the next step.
While fans might want them to get engaged and start planning a wedding, it sounds like that won’t be happening anytime soon. Instead, the two will be working on reprising their roles in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2.’
Do you think they’ll last?
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HollywoodNews.com: Love isn’t easy, even for celebrities, as Emma Stone has opened up about how horrible her first heartbreak was as a teenager.
Stone spoke about the broken love with ‘Interview’ magazine and Cameron Crowe, and it seems she could barely handle it at 14 years old, states UsMagazine.com. “I was crawling on the floor. I remember throwing up … I have never felt anything quite like that. It was so visceral. It’s like someone has killed you and you have to live through it and watch it happen,” Stone commented.
She has since moved on from that tragedy as she is now happily dating her ‘Spider-Man’ costar Andrew Garfield.
Can you relate to her teenage heartbreak?
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HollywoodNews.com: So it’s midnight on the West Coast, which means the first midnight showings are just letting out on the East Coast. Okay, you know the drill. Here’s hoping I have more comments here than I did for The Amazing Spider-Man.
Anyway, I’m actually going to be away from my keyboard for a couple days, but I’ll *try* to do a weekend box office write-up on Sunday morning. Until then, it’s officially open season for anyone who saw the third and final Chris Nolan Batman film. You’ve heard my thoughts, now time to share yours, in as much detail as you desire.
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HollywoodNews.com: There are a number of ways to judge the six-day $140 million debut of The Amazing Spider-Man. First of all, in all but the most unlikely of circumstances, a film grossing $140 million in its first six days ($65 million over the traditional Fri-Sun weekend) is a pretty big financial success. For the record, the film played 44% 3D and 10% IMAX. The film earned an A- from Cinemascore and played 75% over 12 years old and 25% families with kids under 12. Of the over-12 audience, it played 54% were male and/or over 25 years old. Of the under-12s, 73% were under 10 years old and 65% were boys. While final figures won’t drop until Monday, the six-day weekend puts in between 25 and 30 among the biggest six-day totals.
On the other hand, as far as Spider-Man films go, it’s actually pretty weak sauce. Spider-Man 2 opened on this same holiday weekend back in 2004, earning a then-record $180 million in its first six days (with $88 million over the traditional Fri-Sun weekend, among the top-five opening weekends ever at that time). The first Spider-Man film opened in May 2002 to a then-record $114 million Fri-Sun debut, earning $144 million over its first six days of play, three of those days falling in the middle of the school year no less.
As for Spider-Man 3, it also broke the Fri-Sun record back in May 2007 ($151 million) before earning $176 million in its first six days. So factoring in inflation (Spider-Man – $196m, Spider-Man 2 – $229m – third best six-day of all time, Spider-Man 3 – $202m) and the 3D ticket-price bump, The Amazing Spider-Man sold far fewer tickets than its predecessors over its first six days of release. Point being, the Sam Raimi trilogy set box office records, while The Amazing Spider-Man merely exists as another relatively large-scale blockbuster amid a sea of preordained blockbusters.
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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sony Pictures Entertainment added more viewing options for its provocative comedy "The Interview," making the film available through U.S. pay television operators and nearly doubling the number of independent theaters that will show the movie.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Taylor Swift stole the crown from the princesses of "Frozen" in the final week of 2014 as her pop-centric "1989" became the top-selling album of the year, Billboard reported on Wednesday.